Volunteers Share “Trail Magic” During Office Move

We moved into our new headquarters at the Darlington Schoolhouse in March. Credit: Jeremy Apgar

Many hikers are familiar with the term “trail magic,” the serendipitous acts of kindness usually expressed toward thru-hikers. But did you know these kinds of selfless acts happen right here in the Trail Conference offices as well? It’s an incredible thing to experience! A donor or volunteer will step up from seemingly out of nowhere and offer a gift that saves the day. In fact, as an organization, we work day to day with this spirit of trust, knowing that if we are doing good work, good people will join in and support us.

That magic happened in a big way this March, when we faced the daunting task of moving our offices. Our phones began ringing off the hook with volunteers wanting to help pack, purge, clean, gather, organize, and otherwise lend a hand in any way they could. As usual, volunteers led the charge to best utilize our storage space, dismantle the library, or shop for high-efficiency appliances.

Volunteers Kevin Foster and Patricia Watson really stole the show, gladly and generously offering the exact professional expertise we needed to organize, upgrade, and relocate all of our files and systems. Patricia took ownership of combing through our archival materials, much of which hadn’t been touched since our last move out of NYC over a decade ago. Kevin was invaluable technologically and logistically as acting coordinator of all the different processes and people involved.

It all worked out—and we finally moved in to our beautiful offices at the Darlington Schoolhouse. Call it inspiration, blessing, karma, or luck, but the Trail Conference absolutely relies on it! Come visit us at our new headquarters and maybe give or receive a little magic of your own.

About Trail Walker

Since 1920, the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference has partnered with parks to create, protect, and promote a network of more than 2,100 miles of public trails in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan region. The Trail Conference organizes volunteer service projects that keep these trails open, safe, and enjoyable for the public. We publish maps and books that guide public use of these trails. The Trail Conference is a volunteer-driven nonprofit organization with a membership of 10,000 individuals and 100 clubs with a combined membership of 100,000 active, outdoor-loving people.